six years.

In honor of your sixth birthday with love-

On January 14, 2008, she laid you in my arms.  Her words were, "He's not my baby.  I've always thought of him as your baby and I was carrying him for you."  And a lump swelled up in my throat.  I knew that she had just laid one of the greatest treasures I'd ever possess in my arms and it was the most unselfish act I had ever witnessed.



That night is as vivid as something that occurred five minutes ago, but somehow SIX YEARS have passed.   And that little 7 lb 11 oz, blonde haired, green-eyed baby has brought more joy that we could have imagined.



This morning you proudly announced that the greatest thing about being six is "that it takes two hands to show [my] number."  Somehow growing up is way more exciting to a boy than to his mama.  Every year you add a number, I praise God that you are growing and changing, but I am also reminded how quickly the time is passing and how important it is that I make an impression on your heart NOW, rather than later!



So as you begin this sixth year of your life, I pray BIG things for you.  And even though I know we will fail you a million times as parents in the next 365 days, we trust that God's grace is BIGGER and that He will change you for the better, despite our imperfections!



Lord, we thank you for Max, for choosing us to love him, guide him, and mold him in these impressionable years.  We pray that your grace would abound as we seek to make the right choices in parenting and as we daily fail and start anew.  We ask that you would continue to draw his heart towards Yours.  We pray that you make his sin abundantly clear to him and that You show him his need for a Savior as only You can do.  Help Jason and I to plant seeds of You in his heart so that the fruits of Your Spirit will be evident in His life.  As this world attempts to draw him in , Lord, it is our desire that he would turn towards the only hope that is available to us- You.



Happiest Birthday, Max!

Love,
Mama and Daddy

six on saturday.

I missed 'five on friday' by just a few hours, so we'll just go ahead and rename this post 'six on saturday.'  Just thought I'd use this post to update everyone on life.

1.  We are still in Thailand.  But last week, our crew grew by three adults when my mom and dad and Jason's mom arrived!  It's been over a year since we've seen my dad or Jason' mom, so all three of them were a welcomed sight!  Jason's dad will join the fun in a little over a week.  We could not be more thrilled to have everyone here, especially Jack and Max!

2.  Unfortunately, planning their trip dates was a bit of a guessing game (as babies like to decide when they want to be born!)  So while we wait, Jason is enjoying showing them around Bangkok.  The boys and I tag along when we aren't in the middle of homeschooling or when there isn't much walking required.  Yours truly isn't much on physical activity these days!  In the last week, they've seen an insane amount of markets and malls, taken a large variety of transportation modes, tried some fun street food, and taken part in our favorite activity- the Thai foot massage!  Hopefully the waiting passes quickly and they enjoy their time in Thailand.

3.  So when are these babies coming?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Their due date is March 10, but that's very unlikely.  The doctor would like to see them make it to 37 weeks, which would occur around February 17th.  As for now, we are just waiting, hoping they pack on the pounds while they continue to bake, and praying that they are born healthy!

4.  Did I mention that we are having a girl and a boy?  We would have been happy with any combination of genders, but we're pretty excited about the idea of one of each!  The new little guy should be right at home with two big brothers, and this little girl will be a fun new addition to a house full of males!  

5.  We had a virtual baby shower last week, via Skype!  Jason's mom's church was so gracious to bless us with a shower.  Prior to their generosity, we were minimally prepared for the birth of babies, but after their outpouring, we are fully prepared to dress and care for the twins.  Thank you so much, Bethel Baptist Church!  We could not be more thankful for your kindness!

6.  And last, I leave you with the ever exciting self photo (taken about two weeks ago.)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  Looks like some of the world is finally starting to thaw out and enjoy some sunshine!

five on friday.

1.  Sorry for the radio silence on the blog... We've been busy settling in to life in Bangkok!  Despite the recent protests that are occurring in the city, we are loving our time here.  Great temperatures, fun outings for our boys, and the fact that we've eaten everything from beef to pork to shrimp this week make the days fun and enjoyable!  We're keeping busy while we wait on these babies.

(Not to worry... we are staying clear of any areas where the crazy crowds are located!)

2.  While we wait for our family to increase, these babies are busy growing and growing and GROWING!  Some days I'm not sure how much more space I have.  So this week, I sort of retired the idea of pants and turned my attention towards dresses.  I found a new dress for a great price at the market the other day.  AND I wore it.  Much to my surprise while googling the real cost of that particular "dress," I learned that I had in fact spent the day out in Bangkok wearing a "nightgown!"  Pregnancy has brought out the Fashionista in me!  I'll try to save my nightgowns for bedtime in the future.

3.  In other odd happenings, Jason went running this week as he does each morning.  And he returned with two bags of fried chicken.  Would you call that an oxymoron?  Thailand's street food lures Jason in every time!  But we did have a great lunch.

4.  We celebrated a birthday this week.  Max hit the big SIX!  The most exciting thing about that is that "now [he] can use two hands to tell his number!"  He enjoyed his day at Toys 'R Us choosing a gift, playing at a huge play area, and dinner at McDonald's.  I have all intentions of posting his birthday blog very soon... at least before he turns 7!

5.  Today Max rounded out his birthday week with his own "fashion faux pas."  He spent the entire day with his shorts on backwards.... not because he didn't know, but because he was just too lazy to make the swap!  The Marlins are going to spend the weekend brushing up on fashion, how to tell the difference in a dress and a nightgown, and how to get the most out of your daily exercise regiment!  Happy Weekend, friends!

about that age.

He's about that age.

You know.

The one where he prefers the likes of Iron Man 3 and Duck Dynasty with his daddy, but he'll still settle in for an episode of Diego if it just happens to be on.



The one where he'll attempt the manliest of chores around the house, but he'll still let you read a book aloud to him any time you're willing.



The one where he wants to pick out his own clothes, but he still doesn't know that there is such a thing as coordinating colors or fashion.



The one where he'd rather be throwing a ball with his daddy, but he just can't resist the call of a playground that is made for a boy half his size.



The one where his 'toys' consists of things such as iPads, but he'll spend hours in a toy store looking for the perfect toy that'll probably just find a home on a shelf.



The one where he'll quickly shut the door if he thinks you might have seen his naked "cheeks," but he'll still ask you life's uncomfortable questions like, "how will those babies come out of your stomach?"



The one where he still kisses you on the lips at bedtime, but you walk away every night wondering if that was the last.



And I'm about that age.

The one where I want to cheer him into a new phase of life with air horns and pompoms, but I'd rather stop the clock so that he doesn't EVER grow up!

Thankful this morning that he's only ABOUT that age... and I've still got to time to treasures all of his life's questions, his kisses at bedtime, and the innocence that still consumes his little heart!

christmas in the sand. 2013

It's been 7 days since Christmas, and I'm still smiling about it.  It seems like the past few years I've carried expectations of how I wanted Christmas to go, and I've walked away from it at the end disappointed because things didn't go exactly as  I planned.

But this year was so different.  I didn't have any plans, no expectations... except for one.  I wanted to see presents laid out in the sand and watch the boys open gifts in a place that they'd probably never open them again- the beaches of Thailand!

And that's what happened.  We woke up on Christmas Eve, later than usual because we'd been traveling the day before.  The weather was beautiful- sun shining, ocean breeze blowing, and the sound of waves beating repeatedly against the shore.  We spent the morning having breakfast, relaxing, and just enjoying time together.  After lunch, the boys were anxious to head to the beach, and it seemed like the perfect time to load up all their presents and have our Christmas.

You can't have Christmas without a tree, so we carried a small tree with us from India and Jack was our official planter of the tree!





Once the tree was ready, the boys hit the water.











Jason and I took advantage of the down time and relaxed in some beach chairs.





Once they were tired and the thrill of the waves was over, they found a seat while we set up the gifts.



The natives got very restless in those few minutes!



Finally, it was time.  We made them close their eyes...



Count to three...



And turn around to see this year's spread!



They were pretty happy with all that came their way!









Jack's big present this year was a surprise... and iPad mini!  With all the traveling we do, Jack's outdated iPod just wasn't up-to-par anymore.  This boy has the most grateful heart!  He cannot open gifts (even the simplest of things) without "ooh-ing and aah-ing" and gasping at each item!  It makes my heart happy to see his joy in receiving!







Max was equally excited to open his big gift... a Nintendo 3DS!  He's been using Jack's hand-me-down that is barely hanging on.  I think their technological needs have all been met for a while!







They got a heap of stuff, but the stockings are always a hit.  They can't seem to dig into them fast enough.





When it was over, we loaded it all up and headed back to our hotel where they could really open everything up and play.



It was perfect- everything about it.





I hope it's a memory these boys hang on to for quite a while!



It's definitely going down as one of my favorite Christmases EVER!  Merry Christmas, Jack and Max!


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Let me introduce you to the main character of this year's Christmas- this guy...

He's such a trooper for my crazy ideas!  He didn't sign up to drag a more than 50 lb. suitcase across sand.  He's not much on laying out blankets, organizing gifts, or setting things up exactly like I instruct!  But he was priceless.  I love his servant's heart and that he did it all with that cute smile you see above!  Maybe next year, I won't be 7.5 months pregnant, and I can resume my role, Jason!  Thank you for making Christmas 2013 happen!

gingerbread houses. 2013

I've been making gingerbread houses with kindergartners for years.  It has always one of my favorite, most exhausting activities of the year.  So a few years ago, I decided to bring the fun home and make them with the boys!

I've never used the kits, because you just can't buy 25 of those for an entire classroom.  And I learned a long time ago, that they are easy to decorate if you just put them together with hot glue.  No one actually eats them anyways, right?

But this year was my first attempt at them in India.  We don't have boxes of graham crackers or even a similar shaped cookie to work with.  So I thought, "how hard can it be?"  And the truth is... it wasn't very hard at all.  I threw some ingredients in a mixer, rolled out the dough, and baked them.  I did cut them into rectangles and poke little holes in them for fun, but, otherwise, they were a breeze!



After gluing together the frame and setting out the necessary ingredients, we were ready to get started.









We started by spreading icing on the roof.  They were so intense at the beginning!





And then "some people" got sidetracked on the task at hand!







Once we finished licking spreading the icing, we just needed to trim out the houses.







And then the REAL FUN began... the decorating!













Then "the sneaking of candy" started.



The "guilty" are always so easy to spot!





This time he had a new partner in crime!



All that sugar gave Jason just enough energy to make the creation of the day... a snowman out of icing!



And Max could not have been more proud!



In the end, we finished with two awfully tasty-looking gingerbread houses....





And two VERY happy little boys!





Merry Christmas!